Facilitation of smart communications hub to support unmanned aircraft for 5g or other next generation network

ABSTRACT

Unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) can be supported by a smart communications hub. Network slices can be utilized to provide services to a UAS that has provided its remote identification number to a network node. After the UAS has been authenticated, by an authentication network slice, based on policies hosted at a service capabilities exposure function (SCEF), the UAS can utilize services provided by other network slices. Additionally, or alternatively, a user equipment associated with the UAS can be provided with suggested services hosted on other slices to which the UAS has not been previously subscribed.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to facilitating a smart communicationshub. For example, this disclosure relates to facilitating a smartcommunications hub to support unmanned aircraft for a 5G, or other nextgeneration network, air interface.

BACKGROUND

5^(th) generation (5G) wireless systems represent a next major phase ofmobile telecommunications standards beyond the currenttelecommunications standards of 4^(th) generation (4G). 5G networks cansupport higher capacity than current 4G networks, allowing a highernumber of mobile broadband users per area unit, and allowing consumptionof higher data quantities. This enables a large portion of thepopulation to stream high-definition media many hours per day with theirmobile devices, when out of reach of wireless fidelity hotspots. 5G alsoprovides improved support of machine-to-machine communication, alsoknown as the Internet of things, enabling lower cost, lower batteryconsumption, and lower latency than 4G equipment.

The above-described background is merely intended to provide acontextual overview of some current issues, and is not intended to beexhaustive. Other contextual information may become further apparentupon review of the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the subject disclosureare described with reference to the following figures, wherein likereference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various viewsunless otherwise specified.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless communication system in which anetwork node device (e.g., network node) and user equipment (UE) canimplement various aspects and embodiments of the subject disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example schematic system block diagram of networkslices according to one or more embodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example schematic system block diagram of anunmanned aircraft communications system according to one or moreembodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example schematic system block diagram of anunmanned aircraft communications system according to one or moreembodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example schematic system block diagram of anunmanned aircraft communications system applying geographicalconstraints according to one or more embodiments.

FIG.6 illustrates an example flow diagram for a method for unmannedaircraft communications according to one or more embodiments.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example flow diagram for a system for unmannedaircraft communications according to one or more embodiments.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example flow diagram for a machine-readable mediumunmanned aircraft communications according to one or more embodiments.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example block diagram of an example mobile handsetoperable to engage in a system architecture that facilitates securewireless communication according to one or more embodiments describedherein.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example block diagram of an example computeroperable to engage in a system architecture that facilitates securewireless communication according to one or more embodiments describedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth toprovide a thorough understanding of various embodiments. One skilled inthe relevant art will recognize, however, that the techniques describedherein can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, orwith other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances,well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown ordescribed in detail to avoid obscuring certain aspects.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” or “anembodiment,” means that a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic described in connection with the embodiment is includedin at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrase “in oneembodiment,” “in one aspect,” or “in an embodiment,” in various placesthroughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to thesame embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, orcharacteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or moreembodiments.

As utilized herein, terms “component,” “system,” “interface,” and thelike are intended to refer to a computer-related entity, hardware,software (e.g., in execution), and/or firmware. For example, a componentcan be a processor, a process running on a processor, an object, anexecutable, a program, a storage device, and/or a computer. By way ofillustration, an application running on a server and the server can be acomponent. One or more components can reside within a process, and acomponent can be localized on one computer and/or distributed betweentwo or more computers.

Further, these components can execute from various machine-readablemedia having various data structures stored thereon. The components cancommunicate via local and/or remote processes such as in accordance witha signal having one or more data packets (e.g., data from one componentinteracting with another component in a local system, distributedsystem, and/or across a network, e.g., the Internet, a local areanetwork, a wide area network, etc. with other systems via the signal).

As another example, a component can be an apparatus with specificfunctionality provided by mechanical parts operated by electric orelectronic circuitry; the electric or electronic circuitry can beoperated by a software application or a firmware application executed byone or more processors; the one or more processors can be internal orexternal to the apparatus and can execute at least a part of thesoftware or firmware application. As yet another example, a componentcan be an apparatus that provides specific functionality throughelectronic components without mechanical parts; the electroniccomponents can include one or more processors therein to executesoftware and/or firmware that confer(s), at least in part, thefunctionality of the electronic components. In an aspect, a componentcan emulate an electronic component via a virtual machine, e.g., withina cloud computing system.

The words “exemplary” and/or “demonstrative” are used herein to meanserving as an example, instance, or illustration. For the avoidance ofdoubt, the subject matter disclosed herein is not limited by suchexamples. In addition, any aspect or design described herein as“exemplary” and/or “demonstrative” is not necessarily to be construed aspreferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs, nor is it meantto preclude equivalent exemplary structures and techniques known tothose of ordinary skill in the art. Furthermore, to the extent that theterms “includes,” “has,” “contains,” and other similar words are used ineither the detailed description or the claims, such terms are intendedto be inclusive—in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as an opentransition word—without precluding any additional or other elements.

As used herein, the term “infer” or “inference” refers generally to theprocess of reasoning about, or inferring states of, the system,environment, user, and/or intent from a set of observations as capturedvia events and/or data. Captured data and events can include user data,device data, environment data, data from sensors, sensor data,application data, implicit data, explicit data, etc. Inference can beemployed to identify a specific context or action, or can generate aprobability distribution over states of interest based on aconsideration of data and events, for example.

Inference can also refer to techniques employed for composinghigher-level events from a set of events and/or data. Such inferenceresults in the construction of new events or actions from a set ofobserved events and/or stored event data, whether the events arecorrelated in close temporal proximity, and whether the events and datacome from one or several event and data sources. Various classificationschemes and/or systems (e.g., support vector machines, neural networks,expert systems, Bayesian belief networks, fuzzy logic, and data fusionengines) can be employed in connection with performing automatic and/orinferred action in connection with the disclosed subject matter.

In addition, the disclosed subject matter can be implemented as amethod, apparatus, or article of manufacture using standard programmingand/or engineering techniques to produce software, firmware, hardware,or any combination thereof to control a computer to implement thedisclosed subject matter. The term “article of manufacture” as usedherein is intended to encompass a computer program accessible from anycomputer-readable device, machine-readable device, computer-readablecarrier, computer-readable media, or machine-readable media. Forexample, computer-readable media can include, but are not limited to, amagnetic storage device, e.g., hard disk; floppy disk; magneticstrip(s); an optical disk (e.g., compact disk (CD), a digital video disc(DVD), a Blu-ray Disc™ (BD)); a smart card; a flash memory device (e.g.,card, stick, key drive); and/or a virtual device that emulates a storagedevice and/or any of the above computer-readable media.

As an overview, various embodiments are described herein to facilitatesmart communications hub to support unmanned aircraft for a 5G airinterface or air interface for other next generation networks. Forsimplicity of explanation, the methods are depicted and described as aseries of acts. It is to be understood and appreciated that the variousembodiments are not limited by the acts illustrated and/or by the orderof acts. For example, acts can occur in various orders and/orconcurrently, and with other acts not presented or described herein.Furthermore, not all illustrated acts may be desired to implement themethods. In addition, the methods could alternatively be represented asa series of interrelated states via a state diagram or events.Additionally, the methods described hereafter are capable of beingstored on an article of manufacture (e.g., a machine-readable medium) tofacilitate transporting and transferring such methodologies tocomputers. The term article of manufacture, as used herein, is intendedto encompass a computer program accessible from any computer-readabledevice, carrier, or media, including a non-transitory machine-readablemedium.

It is noted that although various aspects and embodiments have beendescribed herein in the context of 5G, or other next generationnetworks, the disclosed aspects are not limited to 5G, and/or othernetwork implementations, as the techniques can also be applied, e.g., in3G, or 4G systems. In this regard, aspects or features of the disclosedembodiments can be exploited in substantially any wireless communicationtechnology. Such wireless communication technologies can includeuniversal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), global system formobile communication (GSM), code division multiple access (CDMA),wideband CDMA (WCMDA), CDMA2000, time division multiple access (TDMA),frequency division multiple access (FDMA), multi-carrier CDMA (MC-CDMA),single-carrier CDMA (SC-CDMA), single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), orthogonalfrequency division multiplexing (OFDM), discrete Fourier transformspread OFDM (DFT-spread OFDM), single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), filterbank based multi-carrier (FBMC), zero tail DFT-spread-OFDM (ZTDFT-s-OFDM), generalized frequency division multiplexing (GFDM), fixedmobile convergence (FMC), universal fixed mobile convergence (UFMC),unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM), unique word DFT-spread OFDM (UWDFT-Spread-OFDM), cyclic prefix OFDM (CP-OFDM), resource-block-filteredOFDM, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), worldwide interoperability formicrowave access (WiMAX), wireless local area network (WLAN), generalpacket radio service (GPRS), enhanced GPRS, third generation partnershipproject (3GPP), long term evolution (LTE), LTE frequency division duplex(FDD), time division duplex (TDD), 5G, third generation partnershipproject 2 (3GPP2), ultra mobile broadband (UMB), high speed packetaccess (HSPA), evolved high speed packet access (HSPA+), high-speeddownlink packet access (HSDPA), high-speed uplink packet access (HSUPA),Zigbee, or another institute of electrical and electronics engineers(IEEE) 802.12 technology. In this regard, all or substantially allaspects disclosed herein can be exploited in legacy telecommunicationtechnologies.

As mentioned, described herein are systems, methods, articles ofmanufacture, and other embodiments or implementations that canfacilitate a smart communications hub to support unmanned aircraft for anetwork such as a 5G network. Facilitating a smart communications hub tosupport unmanned aircraft for a 5G network can be implemented inconnection with any type of device with a connection to thecommunications network (e.g., a mobile handset, a computer, a handhelddevice, etc.) any Internet of things (JOT) device (e.g., toaster, coffeemaker, blinds, music players, speakers, etc.), and/or any connectedvehicles (cars, airplanes, space rockets, and/or other at leastpartially automated vehicles (e.g., drones)). In some embodiments, thenon-limiting term user equipment (UE) is used. The embodiments areapplicable to single carrier, multicarrier (MC), or carrier aggregation(CA) operation(s) of the UE. The term carrier aggregation (CA) is alsoreferred to in connection with (e.g., interchangeably referenced as) a“multi-carrier system”, a “multi-cell operation”, a “multi-carrieroperation”, “multi-carrier” transmission and/or “multi-carrier”reception. Note that some embodiments are also applicable for Multi RAB(radio bearers) on some carriers (that is data plus speech issimultaneously scheduled).

In some embodiments, the non-limiting term radio network node, or simplynetwork node, is used. It can refer to any type of network node thatserves a UE or network equipment connected to other network nodes,network elements, or any radio node from where a UE receives a signal.Non-exhaustive examples of radio network nodes are Node B, base station(BS), multi-standard radio (MSR) node such as MSR BS, eNode B, gNode B,network controller, radio network controller (RNC), base stationcontroller (BSC), relay, donor node controlling relay, base transceiverstation (BTS), edge nodes, edge servers, network access equipment,network access nodes, a connection point to a telecommunicationsnetwork, such as an access point (AP), transmission points, transmissionnodes, RRU, RRH, nodes in distributed antenna system (DAS), etc.

Cloud radio access networks (RAN) can enable the implementation ofconcepts such as software-defined network (SDN) and network functionvirtualization (NFV) in 5G networks. This disclosure can facilitate ageneric channel state information framework design for a 5G network.Certain embodiments of this disclosure can include an SDN controllerthat can control routing of traffic within the network and between thenetwork and traffic destinations. The SDN controller can be merged withthe 5G network architecture to enable service deliveries via openapplication programming interfaces (“APIs”) and move the network coretowards an all internet protocol (“IP”), cloud based, and softwaredriven telecommunications network. The SDN controller can work with, ortake the place of policy and charging rules function (“PCRF”) networkelements so that policies such as quality of service and trafficmanagement and routing can be synchronized and managed end to end.

5G, also called new radio (NR) access, networks can support thefollowing: data rates of several tens of megabits per second supportedfor tens of thousands of users; 1 gigabit per second offeredsimultaneously or concurrently to tens of workers on the same officefloor; several hundreds of thousands of simultaneous or concurrentconnections for massive sensor deployments; enhanced spectral efficiencycompared to 4G or LTE; improved coverage compared to 4G or LTE; enhancedsignaling efficiency compared to 4G or LTE; and reduced latency comparedto 4G or LTE. In multicarrier systems, such as orthogonal frequencydivision multiplexing (OFDM), each subcarrier can occupy bandwidth(e.g., subcarrier spacing). If carriers use the same bandwidth spacing,then the bandwidth spacing can be considered a single numerology.However, if the carriers occupy different bandwidth and/or spacing, thenthe bandwidth spacing can be considered a multiple numerology.

The disclosure describes network slices that can be utilized forunmanned aircraft systems (UAS) that operate below 400 feet. The networkslices can be virtual or a part of a software-defined network. A firstslice can be set up for registration. When the UAS broadcasts a signal,an entity can register the broadcasted identification with a serviceshub that can provide services to the UAS. Once authenticated, variousnetwork slices can be created to facilitate various services to the UAS.For example, a network slice can be set up for video or IoT such that atrigger condition triggers one of the slices to provide resources to theUAS. For example, a smart city can subscribe to a network slice that hasa video feed. FirstNet services can use this implementation as well asIOT device manufacturers. IOT device manufacturers that want to collectdata, e.g., on how a part that they have provided for the drone isfunctioning, can subscribe to the IOT slice and receive a direct feed onthat data.

A remote identifier (ID) of a drone can be broadcast to a networkdevice. When the network has the remote ID, the system can check to seeif the drone has subscribed to specific services based on serviceprovider terms and conditions. When an entity controlling the drone hasagreed to the terms and conditions, the drone can be registered via thesmart hub. A service capability exposure function (SCEF) can exposeservices under certain conditions. For example, once the drone isregistered, the SCEF can make available the services. Based on to whatservices the entity has subscribed, when the drone is active, a specificservice can be allocated to the drone. Consequently, the services towhich the drone is subscribed is part of determining to which slices thedrone has access.

Alerts can be sent based on a defined set of criteria. For instance, ifthere is an indication that a threshold number of people have gathered,an alert can be sent to a smart city communications hub. The smart citycommunications hub can then request a video, via the video slice, of theaffected area to provide insights as to what is occurring. The requestfor this video can terminate at a UAS that can provide a video of thearea.

Specific slices can be allocated to a UAS based on the services to whichthe UAS has been subscribed. Certain triggers can also instantiatecertain slices. For example, if a drone (e.g., UAS) is subscribed to avideo slice and the drone gathers data, via IOT sensors associated withan IOT slice, indicative of an event, the system can instantiate a slicefor video capabilities such that the drone can take video of the eventthat is occurring. Alternatively, if the drone is not subscribed to avideo service, then upon the indication of the event, the system cansend an alert to an entity associated with the drone, prompting theentity to subscribe to a video-based service. If the entity (e.g., UE)accepts the prompt, then the video slice can be instantiated, which canallow the drone to take/stream video of the event to the UE. Alerts canalso be sent from the network to 3^(rd) party devices based on thelocation of the drone. For example, if a drone's video captured an eventoccurring that requires police activity, then an alert can go to thenearest police device that is subscribed to the service. Other policiescan also be used. For example, the policy could state that the alert isto go to a second and/or third closest police device, relative to thedrone, instead of the police device that is closest to the drone, oraccording to a function of other characteristics of devices relative tothe event.

Initially, slice A can capture the drone's remote ID and authenticatethat the drone is subscribed to a service when the drone is beingutilized (e.g., up in the air). Once the remote ID is captured, thesystem can utilize a network control plane function to check againstpolicies to determine authentication parameters and/or what services thedrone will have access to. After the drone has been authenticated, theSCEF can release other functions to the drone (e.g., a voice feed,alerts to smart cities, video data stream, gathering of IoT data,sending notices to law enforcement, and/or the like) based on servicesto which the drone has subscribed. Once the SCEF has determined whichservice shall be released to the drone, the user plane function caninstantiate the appropriate slices that correspond to those services.

According to another embodiment, a method can comprise receiving, bynetwork equipment comprising a processor from a base station, signaldata, representative of a signal from an unmanned aircraft via a firstnetwork slice. In response to receiving the signal data, the method cancomprise determining, by the network equipment, that the unmannedaircraft is associated with a subscriber account. In response todetermining that the unmanned aircraft is associated with the subscriberaccount, the method can comprise instantiating, by the networkequipment, a capability of the unmanned aircraft via a second networkslice. Furthermore, based on the capability, the method can comprisesending, by the network equipment to the base station, provisioning datato provision the unmanned aircraft to utilize the capability via thesecond network slice.

According to another embodiment, a system can facilitate receivingsignal data, representative of a signal, from an unmanned aircraft via afirst network slice. In response to receiving the signal data, thesystem can comprise authenticating the unmanned aircraft based on theunmanned aircraft being determined to be associated with a subscriberaccount. Furthermore, in response to determining that the unmannedaircraft is associated with the subscriber account and based on anaccess permitted for the subscriber account, the system can comprisedetermining a capability to be utilized by the unmanned aircraft via asecond network slice that is different from the first network slice.Additionally, in response to determining the capability, the system cancomprise facilitating a utilization of the capability via the secondnetwork slice.

According to yet another embodiment, described herein is amachine-readable medium that comprises instructions, that when executedby a system comprising a processor, can perform operations comprisingreceiving signal data representative of a signal from an unmannedaircraft via a first network slice associated with an authenticationprocedure. In response to receiving the signal data, the operationsfurther comprise determining that the unmanned aircraft is associatedwith a subscriber account. In response to determining that a conditionassociated with the subscriber account has been satisfied, theoperations further comprise instantiating a capability of the unmannedaircraft via a second network slice. Additionally, based on thecapability, the operations can further comprise sending provisioningdata to provision the unmanned aircraft to utilize the capability viathe second network slice.

These and other embodiments or implementations are described in moredetail below with reference to the drawings.

Referring now to FIG. 1, illustrated is an example wirelesscommunication system 100 in accordance with various aspects andembodiments of the subject disclosure. In one or more embodiments,system 100 can include one or more user equipment UEs 102. Thenon-limiting term user equipment (UE) can refer to any type of devicethat can communicate with a network node in a cellular or mobilecommunication system. A UE can have one or more antenna panels havingvertical and horizontal elements. Examples of a UE include a targetdevice, device to device (D2D) UE, machine type UE or UE capable ofmachine to machine (M2M) communications, PDA, tablet, mobile terminals,smart phone, laptop mounted equipment (LME), USB dongles enabled formobile communications, a computer having mobile capabilities, a mobiledevice such as cellular phone, a laptop having laptop embedded equipment(LEE, such as a mobile broadband adapter), a tablet computer having amobile broadband adapter, a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR)device, a heads-up display (HUD) device, a smart car, a machine-typecommunication (MTC) device, and the like. User equipment UE 102 can alsoinclude IOT devices that communicate wireles sly.

In various embodiments, system 100 is or includes a wirelesscommunication network serviced by one or more wireless communicationnetwork providers. In example embodiments, a UE 102 can becommunicatively coupled to the wireless communication network via anetwork node 104. The network node (e.g., network node device) cancommunicate with user equipment, thus providing connectivity between theUE and the wider cellular network. The UE 102 can send transmission typerecommendation data to the network node 104. The transmission typerecommendation data can include a recommendation to transmit data via aclosed loop multiple input multiple output (MIMO) mode and/or a rank-1precoder mode.

A network node can have a cabinet and other protected enclosures, anantenna mast, and multiple antennas for performing various transmissionoperations (e.g., MIMO operations). Network nodes can serve severalcells, also called sectors, depending on the configuration and type ofantenna. In example embodiments, the UE 102 can send and/or receivecommunication data via a wireless link to the network node 104. Thedashed arrow lines from the network node 104 to the UE 102 representdownlink (DL) communications and the solid arrow lines from the UE 102to the network nodes 104 represents an uplink (UL) communication.

System 100 can further include one or more communication serviceprovider networks 106 that facilitate providing wireless communicationservices to various UEs, including UE 102, via the network node 104and/or various additional network devices (not shown) included in theone or more communication service provider networks 106. The one or morecommunication service provider networks 106 can include various types ofdisparate networks, including but not limited to: cellular networks,femto networks, picocell networks, microcell networks, internet protocol(IP) networks Wi-Fi service networks, broadband service network,enterprise networks, cloud based networks, and the like. For example, inat least one implementation, system 100 can be or include a large scalewireless communication network that spans various geographic areas.According to this implementation, the one or more communication serviceprovider networks 106 can be or include the wireless communicationnetwork and/or various additional devices and components of the wirelesscommunication network (e.g., additional network devices and cell,additional UEs, network server devices, etc.). The network node 104 canbe connected to the one or more communication service provider networks106 via one or more backhaul links 108. For example, the one or morebackhaul links 108 can include wired link components, such as a Tl/E1phone line, a digital subscriber line (DSL) (e.g., either synchronous orasynchronous), an asymmetric DSL (ADSL), an optical fiber backbone, acoaxial cable, and the like. The one or more backhaul links 108 can alsoinclude wireless link components, such as but not limited to,line-of-sight (LOS) or non-LOS links which can include terrestrialair-interfaces or deep space links (e.g., satellite communication linksfor navigation).

Wireless communication system 100 can employ various cellular systems,technologies, and modulation modes to facilitate wireless radiocommunications between devices (e.g., the UE 102 and the network node104). As mentioned, while example embodiments might be described for 5Gnew radio (NR) systems, the embodiments can be applicable to any radioaccess technology, a sample listing of which can be found, supra.However, various features and functionalities of system 100 areparticularly described wherein the devices (e.g., the UEs 102 and thenetwork device 104) of system 100 are configured to communicate wirelesssignals using one or more multi carrier modulation schemes, wherein datasymbols can be transmitted simultaneously over multiple frequencysubcarriers (e.g., OFDM, CP-OFDM, DFT-spread OFMD, UFMC, FMBC, etc.).

In various embodiments, system 100 can be configured to provide andemploy 5G wireless networking features and functionalities. 5G wirelesscommunication networks fulfill the demand of exponentially increasingdata traffic and allow people and machines to enjoy gigabit data rateswith virtually zero latency. Compared to 4G, 5G supports more diversetraffic scenarios. For example, in addition to the various types of datacommunication between conventional UEs (e.g., phones, smartphones,tablets, PCs, televisions, Internet enabled televisions, etc.) supportedby 4G networks, 5G networks can be employed to support datacommunication between smart cars in association with driverless carenvironments, as well as machine type communications (MTCs). Consideringthe drastic different communication demands of these different trafficscenarios, the ability to dynamically configure waveform parametersbased on traffic scenarios while retaining the benefits of multi carriermodulation schemes (e.g., OFDM and related schemes) can provide asignificant contribution to the high speed/capacity and low latencydemands of 5G networks. With waveforms that split the bandwidth intoseveral sub-bands, different types of services can be accommodated indifferent sub-bands with the most suitable waveform and numerology,leading to an improved spectrum utilization for 5G networks.

To meet the demand for data centric applications, features of proposed5G networks may include: increased peak bit rate (e.g., 20 Gbps), largerdata volume per unit area (e.g., high system spectral efficiency—forexample about 3.5 times that of the spectral efficiency of LTE systems),high capacity that allows more device connectivity both concurrently andinstantaneously, lower battery/power consumption (which reduces energyand consumption costs), better connectivity regardless of the geographicregion in which a user is located, larger numbers of devices, lowerinfrastructural development costs, and higher reliability of thecommunications.

The 5G access network may utilize higher frequencies (e.g., >6 GHz) toaid in increasing capacity. Currently, much of the millimeter wave(mmWave) spectrum, the band of spectrum between 30 gigahertz (GHz) and300 GHz is underutilized. The millimeter waves have shorter wavelengthsthat range from 10 millimeters to 1 millimeter, and these mmWave signalsexperience severe path loss, penetration loss, and fading. However, theshorter wavelength at mmWave frequencies also allows more antennas to bepacked in the same physical dimension, which allows for large-scalespatial multiplexing and highly directional beamforming.

Performance can be improved if both the transmitter and the receiver areequipped with multiple antennas. Multi-antenna techniques cansignificantly increase the data rates and reliability of a wirelesscommunication system. The use of multiple input multiple output (MIMO)techniques, which was introduced in the third-generation partnershipproject (3GPP) and has been in use (including with LTE), is amulti-antenna technique that can improve the spectral efficiency oftransmissions, thereby significantly boosting the overall data carryingcapacity of wireless systems. The use of multiple-input multiple-output(MIMO) techniques can improve mmWave communications, and has been widelyrecognized a potentially important component for access networksoperating in higher frequencies. MIMO can be used for achievingdiversity gain, spatial multiplexing gain and beamforming gain. Forthese reasons, MIMO systems are an important part of the 3rd and 4thgeneration wireless systems, and are being adopted for use in 5Gsystems.

Referring now to FIG. 2, illustrated is an example schematic systemblock diagram of network slices 200 according to one or moreembodiments.

Network slicing can enable UASs to receive different levels ofconnectivity from their service provider to accommodate use cases. Toachieve the network slicing, the specifications provided can be based ona central cloud that is connected via a backhaul network to many edgecomputing clouds that are kilometers away from the UAS and move manyservices from the core to the edge. For example, as depicted, thenetwork slices 200 can comprise a slice dedicated to UAS authentication,video services, IoTs, and/or alerts to 3^(rd) party UEs.

Referring now to FIG. 3, illustrated is an example schematic systemblock diagram of an unmanned aircraft communications system according toone or more embodiments.

A UAS 102 ₃ can be authenticated by a network slice of an access network300 that can interact with a 5G control plane function 306 of a corenetwork 304. For example, the UAS 102 ₃ can send remote identificationdata to the gNB 104. Per the federal aviation administration, every UASbroadcasts a signal that includes a UAS ID (e.g., license plate) andoperator location. Based on the UAS ID and/or the location of the UAS102 ₃, the UAS 102 ₃ can be authenticated by an authentication slicebased on established policies that can be set up and hosted by thecontrol plane function 306. In addition to the polices, the controlplane function 306 can manage and control the UAS 102 ₃. For example,one policy may state that the UAS 1023 must have a subscription in orderto access services that are found on various network slices. After thecontrol plane function 306 has applied the relevant policies to the UAS1023 based on the UAS 102 ₃ identification data, the control planefunction 306 can communicate with a SCEF 308. Thus, applications orservice capabilities for the UAS 102 ₃ such as video streaming, IoTcapabilities, alerts to law enforcement or smart cities or otherentities such as airports would be allowed only after the UAS 102 ₃authenticates and is registered on a smart communications hub 310 forunmanned vehicles. The smart communications hub 310 can communicate withthe SCEF to determine which services are allowed for the UAS 102 ₃ perthe policies found at the control plane function 306.

Referring now to FIG. 4, illustrated is an example schematic systemblock diagram of an unmanned aircraft communications system according toone or more embodiments.

Once identification/authentication is successful, then other slices canbe established for user plane data flow via the user plane function 312.For example, a network slice B can support video data after theauthentication procedure facilitated by slice A. The network slice B canprovide the UAS 102 ₃ with video support resource optimization forbandwidth, streaming, bitrate, frame rate, or the like. For example,videos/pictures perceived by a camera of the UAS 102 ₃ can be streamedto a data store and/or be shared with other entities (e.g., lawenforcement, utility companies, etc.) and/or UEs 102 ₁ of thoseentities. Another slice, slice C, can provide IoT data capabilitiesafter authentication. The IoT data capabilities can allow the UAS 102 ₃to communicate with IoT devices of the UAS 102 ₃ and/or acquire data(e.g., location, functionality, capabilities, operability, etc.) fromseparate IoT devices. This data can also be sent to a data store and/orshared with other UEs 102 ₁ of the entities. Additionally, a slice D canallow the UAS 102 ₃ to send notification data to the UEs 102 ₁ of thoseentities or other service providers such the national airspace system(NAS), law enforcement, smart cities, insurance companies or any suchneeded entity. It is noted that the aforementioned listing of slices isnot exhaustive, and any number of slices can be utilized. Additionally,the letters (A, B, C, D) associated with each slice are for examplepurposes, e.g., and used to distinguish one slice from others. What isshown is that the ability to access the various other slices hinges onthe UAS 102 ₃ being determined to have been authenticated, wherein theauthentication process is further based on polices that are applied tothe authentication procedure by the SCEF's 308 communication with thesmart communications hub 310.

Once the UAS 102 ₃ is authenticated, network slices can be instantiatedbased on a request, by the UAS 102 ₃, for a resource that is associatedwith that slice. For example, after the UAS 102 ₃ has beenauthenticated, the UAS 102 ₃ can receive an indication that an event isoccurring and can therefore utilize its video camera to capture theevent. If video streaming is a service that has previously beensubscribed to for the UAS 102 ₃, then the video stream slice can beinstantiated. This process can cause data from the smart communicationshub 310 to be sent to the SCEF 308 prior to the data being sent to auser plane function 312 that can instantiate slice B for the UAS 102 ₃.Once slice B has been instantiated, the access network 300 can providethe video streaming resource to the UAS 102 ₃ via the gNB 104.Alternatively, in some scenarios, the UAS 102 ₃ may not have subscribedto the video streaming service prior to receiving the indication thatthe UAS 102 ₃ can utilize its video camera to capture the event. In thisscenario, a prompt can be sent, by the access network 300, to an entity(or a UE 102 of that entity) associated with the UAS 102 ₃, promptingthe entity to subscribe to the service. If the entity subscribes to theservice, then the instantiation flow can proceed as previouslydiscussed. However, the authentication step can be skipped if the UAS102 ₃ has already been authenticated.

Referring now to FIG. 5, illustrated is an example schematic systemblock diagram of an unmanned aircraft communications system applyinggeographical constraints according to one or more embodiments.

In one or more embodiments, communication from the UAS 102 ₃ can be sentto a 3^(rd) party device (e.g., UE 102 ₁) based on a location of the UAS102 ₃. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5, communication from the UAS102 ₃ may only be sent to UE 102 ₁ based on a determination that the UAS102 ₃ and the UE 102 ₁ are in the same zone 502. However, it is notedthat the communication hierarchy can be based on the policies hosted atthe SCEF 308. For example, the policy can dictate that the UAS 102 ₃send its communication data to UE102 ₂, which is outside of the zonethat the UAS 102 ₃ is currently occupying and/or has previously beendetermined to have occupied. Therefore, if the policy dictates,streaming data from the UAS 102 ₃ based on the slice B video dataresource would be sent to UE102 ₂ instead of UE102 ₁.

Referring now to FIG. 6, illustrated is an example flow diagram for amethod for unmanned aircraft communications according to one or moreembodiments.

At element 600, the method can comprise receiving, by network equipmentcomprising a processor from a base station, signal data, representativeof a signal from an unmanned aircraft via a first network slice. Inresponse to receiving the signal data, at element 602, the method cancomprise determining, by the network equipment, that the unmannedaircraft is associated with a subscriber account. In response todetermining that the unmanned aircraft is associated with the subscriberaccount, at element 604, the method can comprise instantiating, by thenetwork equipment, a capability of the unmanned aircraft via a secondnetwork slice. Furthermore, based on the capability, at element 606, themethod can comprise sending, by the network equipment to the basestation, provisioning data to provision the unmanned aircraft to utilizethe capability via the second network slice.

Referring now to FIG. 7, illustrated is an example flow diagram for asystem for unmanned aircraft communications according to one or moreembodiments.

At element 700, the system can facilitate, receiving signal data,representative of a signal, from an unmanned aircraft via a firstnetwork slice. In response to receiving the signal data, at element 702,the system can comprise authenticating the unmanned aircraft based onthe unmanned aircraft being determined to be associated with asubscriber account. Furthermore, in response to determining that theunmanned aircraft is associated with the subscriber account and based onan access permitted for the subscriber account, at element 704, thesystem can comprise determining a capability to be utilized by theunmanned aircraft via a second network slice that is different from thefirst network slice. Additionally, at element 706, in response todetermining the capability, the system can comprise facilitating autilization of the capability via the second network slice.

Referring now to FIG. 8, illustrated is an example flow diagram for amachine-readable medium, e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable medium,associated with unmanned aircraft communications according to one ormore embodiments.

As illustrated, a non-transitory machine-readable medium can compriseexecutable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitateperformance of operations. The operations comprise, at element 800,receiving signal data representative of a signal from an unmannedaircraft via a first network slice associated with an authenticationprocedure. The operations can further comprise, at element 802, inresponse to receiving the signal data, determining that the unmannedaircraft is associated with a subscriber account. The operations canfurther comprise, at element 804, in response to determining that acondition associated with the subscriber account has been satisfied,instantiating a capability of the unmanned aircraft via a second networkslice. Furthermore, the operations can further comprise, at element 806,based on the capability, sending provisioning data to provision theunmanned aircraft to utilize the capability via the second networkslice.

Referring now to FIG. 9, illustrated is a schematic block diagram of anexemplary user equipment, such as a mobile handset 900, capable ofconnecting to a network in accordance with some embodiments describedherein. (As one example, mobile handset 900 can be UE 102 in FIG. 1).Although a mobile handset 900 is illustrated herein, it will beunderstood that other mobile devices are contemplated herein and thatthe mobile handset 900 is merely illustrated to provide context for theembodiments of the various embodiments described herein. The followingdiscussion is intended to provide a brief, general description of anexample of a suitable environment, such as mobile handset 900, in whichthe various embodiments can be implemented. While the descriptionincludes a general context of computer-executable instructions embodiedon a machine-readable medium, those skilled in the art will recognizethat the innovation also can be implemented in combination with otherprogram modules and/or as a combination of hardware and software.

Generally, applications (e.g., program modules) can include routines,programs, components, data structures, etc., that perform particulartasks or implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that the methods described herein canbe practiced with other system configurations, includingsingle-processor or multiprocessor systems, minicomputers, mainframecomputers, as well as personal computers, hand-held computing devices,microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, and the like,each of which can be operatively coupled to one or more associateddevices.

A computing device can typically include a variety of machine-readablemedia. Machine-readable media can be any available media that can beaccessed by the computer and includes both volatile and non-volatilemedia, removable and non-removable media. By way of example and notlimitation, computer-readable media can include computer storage mediaand communication media. Computer storage media can include volatileand/or non-volatile media, removable and/or non-removable mediaimplemented in any method or technology for storage of information, suchas computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules orother data. Computer storage media can include, but is not limited to,RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD ROM,digital video disk (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magneticcassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magneticstorage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store thedesired information and which can be accessed by the computer.

Communication media typically embodies computer-readable instructions,data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated datasignal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and includesany information delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” means asignal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed insuch a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example,and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as awired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such asacoustic, radio frequency (RF), infrared and other wireless media.Combinations of the any of the above should also be included within thescope of computer-readable media.

The mobile handset 900 includes a processor 902 for controlling andprocessing all onboard operations and functions. A memory 904 interfacesto the processor 902 for storage of data and one or more applications906 (e.g., a video player software, user feedback component software,etc.). Other applications can include voice recognition of predeterminedvoice commands that facilitate initiation of the user feedback signals.The applications 906 can be stored in the memory 904 and/or in afirmware 908, and executed by the processor 902 from either or both thememory 904 or/and the firmware 908. The firmware 908 can also storestartup code for execution in initializing the handset 900. Acommunications component 910 interfaces to the processor 902 tofacilitate wired/wireless communication with external systems, e.g.,cellular networks, voice over internet protocol (VoIP) networks, and soon. Here, the communications component 910 can also include a suitablecellular transceiver 911 (e.g., a GSM transceiver) and/or an unlicensedtransceiver 913 (e.g., Wi-Fi, WiMax) for corresponding signalcommunications. The handset 900 can be a device such as a cellulartelephone, a PDA with mobile communications capabilities, andmessaging-centric devices. The communications component 910 alsofacilitates communications reception from terrestrial radio networks(e.g., broadcast), digital satellite radio networks, and Internet-basedradio services networks.

The mobile handset 900 includes a display 912 for displaying text,images, video, telephony functions (e.g., a Caller ID function), setupfunctions, and for user input. For example, the display 912 can also bereferred to as a “screen” that can accommodate the presentation ofmultimedia content (e.g., music metadata, messages, wallpaper, graphics,etc.). The display 912 can also display videos and can facilitate thegeneration, editing and sharing of video quotes. A serial I/O interface914 is provided in communication with the processor 902 to facilitatewired and/or wireless serial communications (e.g., USB, and/or IEEE1394) through a hardwire connection, and other serial input devices(e.g., a keyboard, keypad, and mouse). This supports updating andtroubleshooting the handset 900, for example. Audio capabilities areprovided with an audio I/O component 916, which can include a speakerfor the output of audio signals related to, for example, indication thatthe user pressed the proper key or key combination to initiate the userfeedback signal. The audio I/O component 916 also facilitates the inputof audio signals through a microphone to record data and/or telephonyvoice data, and for inputting voice signals for telephone conversations.

The handset 900 can include a slot interface 918 for accommodating a SIC(Subscriber Identity Component) in the form factor of a card SubscriberIdentity Module (SIM) or universal SIM 920, and interfacing the SIM card920 with the processor 902. However, it is to be appreciated that theSIM card 920 can be manufactured into the handset 900, and updated bydownloading data and software.

The handset 900 can process IP data traffic through the communicationcomponent 910 to accommodate IP traffic from an IP network such as, forexample, the Internet, a corporate intranet, a home network, a personarea network, etc., through an ISP or broadband cable provider. Thus,VoIP traffic can be utilized by the handset 900 and IP-based multimediacontent can be received in either an encoded or decoded format.

A video processing component 922 (e.g., a camera) can be provided fordecoding encoded multimedia content. The video processing component 922can aid in facilitating the generation, editing and sharing of videoquotes. The handset 900 also includes a power source 924 in the form ofbatteries and/or an alternating current (AC) power subsystem, whichpower source 924 can interface to an external power system or chargingequipment (not shown) by a power I/O component 926.

The handset 900 can also include a video component 930 for processingvideo content received and, for recording and transmitting videocontent. For example, the video component 930 can facilitate thegeneration, editing and sharing of video quotes. A location trackingcomponent 932 facilitates geographically locating the handset 900. Asdescribed hereinabove, this can occur when the user initiates thefeedback signal automatically or manually. A user input component 934facilitates the user initiating the quality feedback signal. The userinput component 934 can also facilitate the generation, editing andsharing of video quotes. The user input component 934 can include suchconventional input device technologies such as a keypad, keyboard,mouse, stylus pen, and/or touch screen, for example.

Referring again to the applications 906, a hysteresis component 936facilitates the analysis and processing of hysteresis data, which isutilized to determine when to associate with the access point. Asoftware trigger component 938 can be provided that facilitatestriggering of the hysteresis component 938 when the Wi-Fi transceiver913 detects the beacon of the access point. A SIP client 940 enables thehandset 900 to support SIP protocols and register the subscriber withthe SIP registrar server. The applications 906 can also include a client942 that provides at least the capability of discovery, play and storeof multimedia content, for example, music.

The mobile handset 900, as indicated above related to the communicationscomponent 910, includes an indoor network radio transceiver 913 (e.g.,Wi-Fi transceiver). This function supports the indoor radio link, suchas IEEE 802.11, for the mobile handset 900, e.g., a dual-mode GSMhandset. The mobile handset 900 can accommodate at least satellite radioservices through a handset that can combine wireless voice and digitalradio chipsets into a single handheld device.

In order to provide additional context for various embodiments describedherein, FIG. 10 and the following discussion are intended to provide abrief, general description of a suitable computing environment 1000 inwhich the various embodiments of the embodiment described herein can beimplemented. While the embodiments have been described above in thegeneral context of computer-executable instructions that can run on oneor more computers, those skilled in the art will recognize that theembodiments can be also implemented in combination with other programmodules and/or as a combination of hardware and software.

Generally, program modules include routines, programs, components, datastructures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particularabstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciatethat the disclosed methods can be practiced with other computer systemconfigurations, including single-processor or multiprocessor computersystems, minicomputers, mainframe computers, IoT devices, distributedcomputing systems, as well as personal computers, hand-held computingdevices, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, andthe like, each of which can be operatively coupled to one or moreassociated devices.

The illustrated embodiments of the embodiments herein can be alsopracticed in distributed computing environments where certain tasks areperformed by remote processing devices that are linked through acommunications network. In a distributed computing environment, programmodules can be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.

Computing devices typically include a variety of media, which caninclude computer-readable media, machine-readable media, and/orcommunications media, which two terms are used herein differently fromone another as follows. Computer-readable media or machine-readablemedia can be any available media that can be accessed by the computerand includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable andnon-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation,computer-readable media or machine-readable media can be implemented inconnection with any method or technology for storage of information suchas computer-readable or machine-readable instructions, program modules,structured data or unstructured data.

Computer-readable storage media can be accessed by one or more local orremote computing devices, e.g., via access requests, queries or otherdata retrieval protocols, for a variety of operations with respect tothe information stored by the medium.

Communications media typically embody computer-readable instructions,data structures, program modules or other structured or unstructureddata in a data signal such as a modulated data signal, e.g., a carrierwave or other transport mechanism, and includes any information deliveryor transport media. The term “modulated data signal” or signals refersto a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changedin such a manner as to encode information in one or more signals. By wayof example, and not limitation, communication media include wired media,such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless mediasuch as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media.

With reference again to FIG. 10, the example environment 1000 forimplementing various embodiments of the aspects described hereinincludes a computer 1002, the computer 1002 including a processing unit1004, a system memory 1006 and a system bus 1008. The system bus 1008couples system components including, but not limited to, the systemmemory 1006 to the processing unit 1004. The processing unit 1004 can beany of various commercially available processors. Dual microprocessorsand other multi-processor architectures can also be employed as theprocessing unit 1004.

The system bus 1008 can be any of several types of bus structure thatcan further interconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memorycontroller), a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety ofcommercially available bus architectures. The system memory 1006includes ROM 1010 and RAM 1012. A basic input/output system (BIOS) canbe stored in a non-volatile memory such as ROM, erasable programmableread only memory (EPROM), EEPROM, which BIOS contains the basic routinesthat help to transfer information between elements within the computer1002, such as during startup. The RAM 1012 can also include a high-speedRAM such as static RAM for caching data.

The computer 1002 further includes an internal hard disk drive (HDD)1014 (e.g., EIDE, SATA), one or more external storage devices 1016(e.g., a magnetic floppy disk drive 1016, a memory stick or flash drivereader, a memory card reader, etc.) and an optical disk drive 1020(e.g., which can read or write from a CD-ROM disc, a DVD, a BD, etc.).While the internal HDD 1014 is illustrated as located within thecomputer 1002, the internal HDD 1014 can also be configured for externaluse in a suitable chassis (not shown). Additionally, while not shown inenvironment 1000, a solid state drive (SSD) could be used in additionto, or in place of, an HDD 1014. The HDD 1014, external storagedevice(s) 1016 and optical disk drive 1020 can be connected to thesystem bus 1008 by an HDD interface 1024, an external storage interface1026 and an optical drive interface 1028, respectively. The interface1024 for external drive implementations can include at least one or bothof USB and IEEE 1394 interface technologies. Other external driveconnection technologies are within contemplation of the embodimentsdescribed herein.

The drives and their associated computer-readable storage media providenonvolatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executableinstructions, and so forth. For the computer 1002, the drives andstorage media accommodate the storage of any data in a suitable digitalformat. Although the description of computer-readable storage mediaabove refers to respective types of storage devices, it should beappreciated by those skilled in the art that other types of storagemedia which are readable by a computer, whether presently existing ordeveloped in the future, could also be used in the example operatingenvironment, and further, that any such storage media can containcomputer-executable instructions for performing the methods describedherein.

A number of program modules can be stored in the drives and RAM 1012,including an operating system 1030, one or more application programs1032, other program modules 1034 and program data 1036. All or portionsof the operating system, applications, modules, and/or data can also becached in the RAM 1012. The systems and methods described herein can beimplemented utilizing various commercially available operating systemsor combinations of operating systems.

Computer 1002 can optionally include emulation technologies. Forexample, a hypervisor (not shown) or other intermediary can emulate ahardware environment for operating system 1030, and the emulatedhardware can optionally be different from the hardware illustrated inFIG. 10. In such an embodiment, operating system 1030 can include onevirtual machine (VM) of multiple VMs hosted at computer 1002.Furthermore, operating system 1030 can provide runtime environments,such as the Java runtime environment or the .NET framework, forapplications 1032. Runtime environments are consistent executionenvironments that allow applications 1032 to run on any operating systemthat includes the runtime environment. Similarly, operating system 1030can support containers, and applications 1032 can be in the form ofcontainers, which are lightweight, standalone, executable packages ofsoftware that include, e.g., code, runtime, system tools, systemlibraries and settings for an application.

Further, computer 1002 can be enable with a security module, such as atrusted processing module (TPM). For instance with a TPM, bootcomponents hash next in time boot components, and wait for a match ofresults to secured values, before loading a next boot component. Thisprocess can take place at any layer in the code execution stack ofcomputer 1002, e.g., applied at the application execution level or atthe operating system (OS) kernel level, thereby enabling security at anylevel of code execution.

A user can enter commands and information into the computer 1002 throughone or more wired/wireless input devices, e.g., a keyboard 1038, a touchscreen 1040, and a pointing device, such as a mouse 1042. Other inputdevices (not shown) can include a microphone, an infrared (IR) remotecontrol, an RF remote control, or other remote control, a joystick, avirtual reality controller and/or virtual reality headset, a game pad, astylus pen, an image input device, e.g., camera(s), a gesture sensorinput device, a vision movement sensor input device, an emotion orfacial detection device, a biometric input device, e.g., fingerprint oriris scanner, or the like. These and other input devices are oftenconnected to the processing unit 1004 through an input device interface1044 that can be coupled to the system bus 1008, but can be connected byother interfaces, such as a parallel port, an IEEE 1394 serial port, agame port, a USB port, an IR interface, a BLUETOOTH® interface, etc.

A monitor 1046 or other type of display device can be also connected tothe system bus 1008 via an interface, such as a video adapter 1048. Inaddition to the monitor 1046, a computer typically includes otherperipheral output devices (not shown), such as speakers, printers, etc.

The computer 1002 can operate in a networked environment using logicalconnections via wired and/or wireless communications to one or moreremote computers, such as a remote computer(s) 1050. The remotecomputer(s) 1050 can be a workstation, a server computer, a router, apersonal computer, portable computer, microprocessor-based entertainmentappliance, a peer device or other common network node, and typicallyincludes many or all of the elements described relative to the computer1002, although, for purposes of brevity, only a memory/storage device1052 is illustrated. The logical connections depicted includewired/wireless connectivity to a local area network (LAN) 1054 and/orlarger networks, e.g., a wide area network (WAN) 1056. Such LAN and WANnetworking environments are commonplace in offices and companies, andfacilitate enterprise-wide computer networks, such as intranets, all ofwhich can connect to a global communications network, e.g., theInternet.

When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 1002 can beconnected to the local network 1054 through a wired and/or wirelesscommunication network interface or adapter 1058. The adapter 1058 canfacilitate wired or wireless communication to the LAN 1054, which canalso include a wireless access point (AP) disposed thereon forcommunicating with the adapter 1058 in a wireless mode.

When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 1002 can includea modem 1060 or can be connected to a communications server on the WAN1056 via other means for establishing communications over the WAN 1056,such as by way of the Internet. The modem 1060, which can be internal orexternal and a wired or wireless device, can be connected to the systembus 1008 via the input device interface 1044. In a networkedenvironment, program modules depicted relative to the computer 1002 orportions thereof, can be stored in the remote memory/storage device1052. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown areexample and other means of establishing a communications link betweenthe computers can be used.

When used in either a LAN or WAN networking environment, the computer1002 can access cloud storage systems or other network-based storagesystems in addition to, or in place of, external storage devices 1016 asdescribed above. Generally, a connection between the computer 1002 and acloud storage system can be established over a LAN 1054 or WAN 1056e.g., by the adapter 1058 or modem 1060, respectively. Upon connectingthe computer 1002 to an associated cloud storage system, the externalstorage interface 1026 can, with the aid of the adapter 1058 and/ormodem 1060, manage storage provided by the cloud storage system as itwould other types of external storage. For instance, the externalstorage interface 1026 can be configured to provide access to cloudstorage sources as if those sources were physically connected to thecomputer 1002.

The computer 1002 can be operable to communicate with any wirelessdevices or entities operatively disposed in wireless communication,e.g., a printer, scanner, desktop and/or portable computer, portabledata assistant, communications satellite, any piece of equipment orlocation associated with a wirelessly detectable tag (e.g., a kiosk,news stand, store shelf, etc.), and telephone. This can include Wi-Fiand BLUETOOTH® wireless technologies. Thus, the communication can be apredefined structure as with a conventional network or simply an ad hoccommunication between at least two devices.

The computer is operable to communicate with any wireless devices orentities operatively disposed in wireless communication, e.g., aprinter, scanner, desktop and/or portable computer, portable dataassistant, communications satellite, any piece of equipment or locationassociated with a wirelessly detectable tag (e.g., a kiosk, news stand,restroom), and telephone. This includes at least Wi-Fi and BluetoothTMwireless technologies. Thus, the communication can be a predefinedstructure as with a conventional network or simply an ad hoccommunication between at least two devices.

Wi-Fi allows connection to the Internet from a couch at home, a bed in ahotel room, or a conference room at work, without wires. Wi-Fi is awireless technology similar to that used in a cell phone that enablessuch devices, e.g., computers, to send and receive data indoors and out;anywhere within the range of a base station. Wi-Fi networks use radiotechnologies called IEEE 802.11 (a, b, g, etc.) to provide secure,reliable, fast wireless connectivity. A Wi-Fi network can be used toconnect computers to each other, to the Internet, and to wired networks(which use IEEE 802.3 or Ethernet). Wi-Fi networks operate in theunlicensed 2.4 and 5 GHz radio bands, at an 11 Mbps (802.11a) or 54 Mbps(802.11b) data rate, for example, or with products that contain bothbands (dual band), so the networks can provide real-world performancesimilar to the basic 10BaseT wired Ethernet networks used in manyoffices.

The above description of illustrated embodiments of the subjectdisclosure, including what is described in the Abstract, is not intendedto be exhaustive or to limit the disclosed embodiments to the preciseforms disclosed. While specific embodiments and examples are describedherein for illustrative purposes, various modifications are possiblethat are considered within the scope of such embodiments and examples,as those skilled in the relevant art can recognize.

In this regard, while the subject matter has been described herein inconnection with various embodiments and corresponding FIGs, whereapplicable, it is to be understood that other similar embodiments can beused or modifications and additions can be made to the describedembodiments for performing the same, similar, alternative, or substitutefunction of the disclosed subject matter without deviating therefrom.Therefore, the disclosed subject matter should not be limited to anysingle embodiment described herein, but rather should be construed inbreadth and scope in accordance with the appended claims below.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: receiving, by networkequipment comprising a processor from a base station, signal datarepresentative of a signal from an unmanned aircraft via a first networkslice; in response to receiving the signal data, determining, by thenetwork equipment, that the unmanned aircraft is associated with asubscriber account; in response to determining that the unmannedaircraft is associated with the subscriber account, instantiating, bythe network equipment, a capability of the unmanned aircraft via asecond network slice; and based on the capability, sending, by thenetwork equipment to the base station, provisioning data to provisionthe unmanned aircraft to utilize the capability via the second networkslice.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the unmannedaircraft is associated with the subscriber account comprises utilizingan authentication procedure.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the firstnetwork slice is dedicated to the authentication procedure.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the capability is a first capability, andfurther comprising: in response to determining that the unmannedaircraft is associated with the subscriber account, generating, by thenetwork equipment, suggestion data representative of a suggestion toutilize a second capability different than the first capability.
 5. Themethod of claim 4, further comprising: in response to generating thesuggestion data, sending, by the network equipment, the suggestion datato a user device.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the user device isassociated with the subscriber account.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein the capability comprises an ability to send a notification to adevice associated with a law enforcement entity.
 8. A system,comprising: a processor; and a memory that stores executableinstructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitateperformance of operations, comprising: receiving signal data,representative of a signal, from an unmanned aircraft via a firstnetwork slice; in response to receiving the signal data, authenticatingthe unmanned aircraft based on the unmanned aircraft being determined tobe associated with a subscriber account; in response to determining thatthe unmanned aircraft is associated with the subscriber account andbased on an access permitted for the subscriber account, determining acapability to be utilized by the unmanned aircraft via a second networkslice that is different from the first network slice; and in response todetermining the capability, facilitating a utilization of the capabilityvia the second network slice.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein thecapability is a video capability.
 10. The system of claim 8, wherein thecapability is a first capability, and wherein the operations furthercomprise: in response to authenticating the unmanned aircraft,determining a second capability to be utilized by the unmanned aircraft.11. The system of claim 10, wherein the unmanned aircraft does not havepermission to utilize the second capability.
 12. The system of claim 11,wherein the operations further comprise: sending request data,representative of a request to utilize the second capability, to a userequipment.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations furthercomprise: in response to sending the request data, receivingconfirmation data representative of a confirmation to utilize the secondcapability.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the operations furthercomprise: in response to receiving the confirmation data, facilitating autilization of the second capability via a third network slice that isdifferent than the first network slice and the second network slice. 15.A non-transitory machine-readable medium, comprising executableinstructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performanceof operations, comprising: receiving signal data representative of asignal from an unmanned aircraft via a first network slice associatedwith an authentication procedure; in response to receiving the signaldata, determining that the unmanned aircraft is associated with asubscriber account; in response to determining that a conditionassociated with the subscriber account has been satisfied, instantiatinga capability of the unmanned aircraft via a second network slice; andbased on the capability, sending provisioning data to provision theunmanned aircraft to utilize the capability via the second networkslice.
 16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15,wherein the capability is a first, wherein the condition is a firstcondition, and wherein the operations further comprise: in response todetermining that a second condition associated with the subscriberaccount has not been satisfied, sending capability subscription data,representative of a prompt to subscribe to a second capability, toprompt a user equipment associated with the subscriber account.
 17. Thenon-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the secondcapability comprises an ability to receive data from aninternet-of-things device.
 18. The non-transitory machine-readablemedium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise: in responseto sending the capability subscription data, receiving, from a userequipment, subscription data representative of an intent to subscribe tothe second capability.
 19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium ofclaim 18, wherein the operations further comprise: in response toreceiving the subscription data, instantiating the second capability toreceive data from an internet-of-things device via a third networkslice.
 20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 19,wherein the operations further comprise: in response to instantiatingthe second capability to receive data from the internet-of-thingsdevice, receiving data from the internet-of-things device.